The monkey dust epidemic gripping Stoke-on-Trent has now spread 10,000 miles to Australia.

Warnings have been issued Down Under about the new 'it' drug which makes users feel like they have super human strength, costs as little as $10 and can’t be detected by sniffer dogs.

It is believed the drug - also known as MDPV - has 're-emerged' in Australia after gaining in popularity in the Potteries which has been dubbed 'the capital of monkey dust'.

While the £2-a-hit drug is generally used by rough sleepers or those already with addictions on the streets of North Staffordshire, in cities like Melbourne and Sydney it is popular on the party scene.

Monkey dust has now spread to Australia

Revellers are taking the drug at festivals as it is known to create a sensation of being able to fly or impressions of invincibility.

But there have already been reports of those in the grip of powerful hallucinations putting themselves and others at risk.

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One Australian woman's tongue bled after she aggressively licked the dancefloor when she took the killer drug, which can be smoked, snorted or taken in pill form.

The Australian Federal Police last year seized 4.5kg of the drug, or half a million doses, and warned consuming the drug was a gamble with your life that is not worth taking.

What is monkey dust? The drug causing a health crisis

Monkey Dust, also known as MDPV, causes hallucinations and paranoia.

People on the drug, which looks like an off-white powder, have been known to climb trees and buildings and attack people who come near them.

It's from a family of drugs known as cathinones as can be bought for as little as £2.

Monkey dust can be swallowed, injected or snorted and it dampens perceptions of pain. It can also cause powerful hallucinations which lead to severe paranoia.

The use of monkey dust is on the rise because of its low cost and its effects can be felt after ingesting small amounts - as little as 3mg.

While Staffordshire is a known epicentre for the drug, West Midlands Ambulance Service said it has dealt with cases across the region. Paramedics have been called to 178 incidents since April involving money dust — 131 of them in North Staffordshire.

Andrew Leibie, a leading forensic toxicologist, told the Herald Sun 'monkey dust' is 'certainly a contender for the fatal drug overdoses we are seeing'.

He said the drug is 'cheaper than ecstasy and it's a lot more dangerous' and only a small dose can be fatal.

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Stoke-on-Trent's monkey dust epidemic

Dr Chris Holmwood from Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia previously told the ABC the drug was so deadly because it was unfamiliar.

He added: "Perhaps people think because they're paying less for it, it's not as potent a drug so that could be one reason but I guess it's lack of familiarity probably and not appreciating just how potent the drug is."

The shocking court cases linked to monkey dust

Drugged-up Shaun Dunn-Sweeny threatened to burn down his flat and kill ‘pikeys’ if the police did not arrest him.

The 52-year-old - who was high on monkey dust - went to the Smithfield 1 Building in Hanley and told officers he believed he had been poisoned and there was a ‘hit out on his life’.

He threatened to set fire his flat if the officers did not lock him up and added he would get a gun and ‘kill all the pikeys around here’.

He was detained and police found a bottle containing petrol among his possessions.

Dunn-Sweeny, below, of New Inn Lane, Hanford, pleaded guilty to threatening to damage or destroy property and failing to surrender to bail.

He was handed a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, following the incident at midnight on April 14.

Judge Dean Kershaw told the defendant: “You are an example of the scourge that the drug, sometimes referred to a monkey dust, is having on society. It is an extremely dangerous drug. It is causing real havoc. It has caused havoc on your life."

Drugged-up Dean Hulme was 'probably high on monkey dust' when he pulled a knife on a shopper and his seven-month-old baby in a terrifying confrontation outside a busy supermarket – at 9am in the morning.

The 27-year-old, below, stole the knife from Sainsbury’s, Stoke, before threatening his victim who feared for the life of his infant son in a shocking case of mistaken identity.

He was then pushed away before fleeing in the scene as he was chased by police.

The defendant – who was foaming from the mouth – only went to the floor after being threatened with a taser.

Hulme, of Frank Street, Stoke, pleaded guilty to affray, possession of a knife in public and failing to surrender to bail. He was jailed for 26 months.

Drugged-up Kevin Eagles ripped tiles off the roof of a block of flats and hurled the 'missiles' to the ground - during a six-and-a-half hour police stand-off.

The paranoid 34-year-old, below, climbed onto the roof of the three-storey building and endangered the safety of passers-by after a monkey dust binge left him wrongly believing the police were chasing and harassing him.

Damage was caused to the roof of the Aspire Housing-owned property, an unmarked police car and another vehicle during the incident which led to a section of Albemarle Road, in Cross Heath, being cordoned off.

Eagles, of Grove Street, Knutton - who has 34 previous convictions for 100 offences - pleaded guilty to affray and three offences of criminal damage and was jailed for 20 months.